Steve speaks, IYKYK! We talk AI, journalism, newsletters
PLUS: 'Ted Lasso with a guitar' comes to town, and where to order books by 3 famous authors who live in town.
đťThe Dispatchâs cofounder, Steve Thurston, left without a peep. Hereâs why â and a discussion about AI, newsletters and the future of journalism.
So many of you â about half actually â have been with the Dispatch since our first month or so, a fun fact that humbles me to no end. It means youâve been here as we tried new things, got the kinks out, suffered some pretty bad typos as we got used to a daily crunch timeâŚand youâre still here.
And it means you remember my co-founder (and friend), Steve Thurston, who was half the Dispatch until he slowly exited stage right without a peep.
I wasnât able to announce why he was leaving (I can tell you now; he got a dream job as the Chief of Staff to the mayor of Glens Falls). For more info, keep your eye on the Glens Falls Chronicle, which teased its story on the changes in our northern neighborâs mayorâs office today on social media â and plans to have the full story out by Christmas.
Without further ado, Steve speaks!
Abby: When you left without a word, I think some of the Dispatchers out there thought we had a falling out or something.
Steve: Oh, no. I mean, âPlease support Abby â the Dispatch is absolutely necessary.â Saratoga needs its own daily news outlet.
Abby: You were handling most of the hard news; I was doing mostly food/wine and the performing arts. I canât do it all (ha!), so filling that void is still a work in progress. The political stories I have done did extremely well â Iâll be doing a âTop Storiesâ post soon for the end of the year, and Iâm interested to see where they fall.
Steve: The politically connected readership are a stalwart bunch, and they are really interested in making sure that news gets out, and that you survive so that you can continue to tell that news.
Abby: Since local journalism is my absolute passion, that speaks to my heart.
Steve: Since I left, I have seen a number of changes â especially the tone and style. Itâs still really great coverage, still interesting stories, but at the same time, just a little tweak that I think is in the right direction. Maybe with me hanging around, we never wouldâve made those changes, but with me out of the wayâŚ
Abby: You were very concerned about AI, and the one thing that AI cannot take away from you is your personality. I still want the information in there, but our community is a friendly, tight-knit one, and I want the Dispatch to feel like itâs not only a part of it, but doing what local journalism is supposed to be doing â bringing us together.
Steve: Thatâs where news seems to be going. I might have gotten too stuck in my ways and wasnât ready to make that kind of a change. And I think that change is going to be significant.
Abby: I was going to ask you what youâve noticed thatâs different, but you went straight to it.
Steve: It really is the voice. Itâs fun to read, youâre a good journalist and a good writer, and you are clearly connected to so many people in this community in a way that I never was. I appreciate your journalistic reach.
Abby: Itâs so cyclical. There was so much to do in Saratoga over the holidays that I was working all day, every day to try to get it all in. I expect to settle into some more newsier stories and small business coverage as we move into January and February.
Steve: That will be an opportunity to catch up on some different areas and try new things.
Thank you, Steve!
đ¸âTed Lasso with a guitarâ at Caffè Lena
Finish the year off Dec. 27 with Stephen Kellogg and his âfamily reunion vibeâ
One of Caffè Lena Executive Director Sarah Craigâs top picks for shows this season will go down during that dreamy âoffâ week between Christmas and New Yearâs. So why not buy a ticket now and wander on over there Saturday (Dec. 27)? Heâs been described as âTed Lasso with a guitar,â so youâre pretty much guaranteed to have a good time with Stephen Kellogg â who is even doing two back-to-back performances so both the early birds (5-7 p.m.) and later-night folks (8-10 p.m.) can enjoy his ânight of songs, stories and soul-stirring connection.
âHeâs a comedian; heâs a songwriter; heâs a dad â his teenage daughters will be on stage singing, too,â Craig says. âIt creates a family reunion vibe that means that everybody who comes through the door is made to feel like theyâre part of the family.â
Expect stories (both funny and heartwarming, with a Midwestern flair) and songs. âThis is definitely one of those classic âwe laughed, we criedâ shows,â Craig says. âIt does sell out, because itâs exactly the kind of room where fans want to see an artist like Stephen Kellogg. Itâs very fun.â
Grab your ticket while you still can at (5 p.m.) caffelena.org or (8 p.m.) caffelena.org.
In brief
đ°Saratoga Casino Holdings scores PA gaming license
Saratoga Casino Holdings LLC has been granted a gaming license by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, meaning the company now holds gaming licenses (for non-tribal casinos) in four states: New York (đââď¸), Mississippi, Colorado â and now Pennsylvania. The company, of course, owns and operates the chic Saratoga Casino Hotel, but also the Saratoga Casino Black Hawk in Colorado and Mississippiâs Magnolia Bluffs Casino Hotel.
âAs a third-generation, family-run business with more than 80 years in the horse racing industry and 20 years in casino, hotel, and entertainment operations,â said CEO Sam Gerrity in a statement, âwe are extremely proud to receive our Pennsylvania gaming license.â
Got story to share, event to promote or business to advertise? Respond to this email or reach Abby at abby@saratogadispatch.com.
đPre-order (and gift) now, page-turn soon
Finish up your shopping with a few clicks â three upcoming books by local authors you can pre-order now and wrap as IOUs.
As you tiptoe around the house trying to figure out how to (discreetly) print out the gift cards you need to buy as last-minute gifts (youâre not alone), hereâs an idea.
Three of Saratogaâs most well-known authors have books coming out in early 2026. Pre-order now and double the gifting fun (they get to unwrap a festive IOU on Christmas, and be surprised by a book later). These three novels (that come out between Jan. 6 and April 26) are making a huge splash. Hereâs how to get in on the holiday-worthy hoopla.
The Circuitry We Share, by Molly Dunn
Pre-order for the Jan. 6 release.e (Pre-ordered books from Northshire will arrive signed by the author â personalized, if requested.)
Launch event: Northshire, Feb. 27 at 6 p.m.
Local connect: Dunnâs debut novel was written over five years, while living in Saratoga. Marcella Hammer is mentioned in the acknowledgments for running the Palette book club, which Dunn says was âfoundationalâ for her.
Synopsis: Psychological thriller that follows four hyper-empathic women who discover theyâve all fallen for the same enigmatic Silicon Valley filmmaker. As they begin to unravel his duplicity, they uncover a web of deception that stretches far beyond romantic betrayal â and into the darkest corners of the tech world.
Fun fact: âWhile The Circuitry We Share is intended to be read sequentially from front to back,â Dunn says, âthe novel also has a âchoose your own adventureâ option, as it is told from different points of view of the four main characters. Readers can pick a character of their liking and read where the story takes them with just those chapters. Then read other charactersâ chapters and see how their storylines intersect.
âThis is great for book clubs, those looking to bend their minds while reading on their own, or folks just short on time â creating even more intrigue.â
Trad Wife: A Novel, by Saratoga Schaefer
Pre-order now for the Feb. 10 release. (Pre-ordered books from Northshire will arrive signed by the author â personalized, if requested.)
Local connect: Schaefer is named after â and currently resides in â Saratoga Springs.
Synopsis: A âtraditional wifeâ influencer allows a demonic creature to impregnate her in this unnerving horror novel from the author of Serial Killer Support Group â Every #tradwife needs a baby. Sheâll get one at any cost.
Fun fact: Schaefer is from Brooklyn but her mom has always loved Saratoga. âMy mom has been coming up to this area since she was a kid,â Schaefer dishes on the podcast Destination Saratoga. âAnd when she met my dad, she brought him to the area and he fell in love with it. Then she kind of suggested naming their firstborn Saratoga as a joke and he took it very seriously. And now here I am.â
A Murder Most Camp, by Nicolas DiDomizio
Pre-order now for April 26 release. (Pre-ordered books from Northshire will arrive signed by the author â personalized, if requested.)
Local connect: DiDomizio lives in Saratoga with his fiancĂŠ; their relationship loosely inspired the authorâs last book, Nearlywed.
Synopsis: âItâs a zany mystery-romcom about a 30-year-old nepo baby,â DiDomizio says, âwhoâs forced to volunteer at a summer camp to earn his inheritance, where he stumbles into an unsolved murder case.â â Rustic cabins. Lakefront bonfires. A painfully hot lifeguard. And a murder? Summer has never been this camp.
Fun fact: This book already has fans in high places: People magazine splashed across a recent headline, âCher Horowitz would love A Murder Most Camp!â and did an exclusive reveal.
ICYMIâŚ
đXmas tree bonfire? Letâs go!
đˇWhat to pair withâŚJell-O? (We explain)
đ¨Artist Profile: Rebecca Vickery (NYE posters!)
đť(Local) drink recs to get you through the final holiday rush
Congratulations, Steven on the new endeavor.